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Liverpool legend Phil Thompson believes the club let their best defender go this summer as Mamadou Sakho left for Crystal Palace for £26m.

According to the Liverpool Echo, the centre-half was a hit with the Eagles’ fans after spending some time on loan with the London club last season which was a crucial factor in his eventual departure.

The paper claims that former centre-back Thompson, who won three European cups during his tenure at Anfield in his playing days, says Liverpool were too hasty to let him go.

“Our best defender at the start of this season has been allowed to leave,” he stated.

“Mamadou Sakho was our best defender. He was a warrior, a fighter, a battler – all those things and you saw it at Crystal Palace last season, “Somewhere along the line you can’t cut off your nose to spite your face,” he concluded.

Liverpool failed to bring in another centre-half during the summer, failing to sign Virgil Van Dijk during despite strong links and a transfer request from the player amid ‘tapping-up’ allegations.

They newspaper report Sakho failed to adhere to Jurgen Klopp’s rules on several occasions, including being sent home from the club’s tour of the United States in 2016, for a number of code violations.

However, Thompson believes the Red’s boss was too harsh on the Frenchman, explaining:

“He should have made up with the boy, ban him for three or four months and then bring him back in.”

Liverpool travel to Russia to take on Spartak Moscow on Tuesday in their second Champions League group stage game where Klopp and co. will be determined to put in a solid defensive display.